Gimme a hand
by Sabie
Summary: The continuation for "Staring out of darkness". Sabie reached the age when she shall be given away to FOH boarding school. will she get thrown there or not?


1 GIMME A HAND  
  
(July 2018,  
  
Sabie – 1 month)  
  
"Have you seen the kid, Lara?" Rebecca asked, and the tall dark haired woman nodded.  
  
"She's cute like an angel. The weirdest thing is that she's already coordinating her moves somewhat, even tries to roll onto her stomach."  
  
"Wow, really?!" She nodded, "I was shocked too, as she's barely a month old, but you  
  
know, she isn't human, who knows how it goes by them?"  
  
Lara shook her head "It always goes weird by muties. Thank God she doesn't have those laser rays coming out of her eyes."  
  
Rebecca made wide eyes "Is that possible?!"  
  
She nodded, "It sure is! Remember those mutants we've seen on TV? One of them had a visor on his face, and it was said he has those rays coming out of his eyes 24/7."  
  
Rebecca gagged, "24/7?! Is that possible?! That means he can't see without that visor,  
  
right?!"  
  
She nodded, "Right."  
  
Rebecca shuddered, "Poor parents." Lara stated, "By the way, where do those mutants come from?"  
  
She shrugged, "Dunno. No one really knows. They just come from nowhere, save the  
  
day and disappear back to nowhere."  
  
"Do they actually  
  
save the day?"  
  
"I wouldn't say so. Maybe they just work for some candidate so we'll vote for him when it gets known what he done for us, saving us from… hmm, did they actually save someone?"  
  
"Must have. At least that's what I've heard. They also made a mess of the Statue of Liberty."  
  
"Wow, really?! I thought it was just a rumor."  
  
"It was closed for two weeks after that, remember?" Rebecca took a deep breath.  
  
"Yeah. Well… I'll go see if Sabie is okay?"  
  
"Yep, look after her, maybe she had already crawled out of the bed and  
  
chewed away all your dinner." They both giggled at that and separated.  
  
  
  
As Rebecca came into the nursery, the cub turned her  
  
head and purred. She was long ago fascinated by  
  
Sabie's manner to let out a cat-like purr where other  
  
kids would coo. It was actually the first mutant kid  
  
she got so closely in touch with. That meant the kid  
  
had an obvious mutation, not like those with different  
  
color of eyes or like telepaths, but it was obvious  
  
she was a mutant. That in it self was exciting.  
  
  
  
The kid reached out her hand and made a grabbing motion.  
  
"I'm commin', dear," Rebecca soothed, reaching out for  
  
kid's palm. Tiny fingers curled around her finger and  
  
a smile made its way onto her face. She took the kid  
  
into her crooked arms and rocked her slightly.  
  
Sabie turned her head to the side, observing the world  
  
from the new height. Now, that was a big world, full of  
  
different things the meanings of which she couldn't  
  
comprehend yet. Not that she tried to comprehend them  
  
though, they were just things, they were her  
  
surroundings for now.  
  
The only thing she knew was that  
  
scent near her. It meant warmth and comfort and the  
  
new observation of the world the high position gave.  
  
She turned her head to the side to where the light was  
  
coming from, when her stomach felt some weird itching  
  
and she let out a searing yell.  
  
"Shhh…" Rebecca rocked the kid for some seconds, but  
  
the yell just got louder. "Okay, okay, if you mean  
  
it's time to feed you already, let's go get some milk  
  
then…" she carried her out of the room to another one  
  
on the same floor.  
  
Thank God, Helen had the milk  
  
surplus and had nothing against feeding other two  
  
orphan mutant cubs in the med-center.  
  
Must be because her  
  
own son was a mutant. Beside the weird orange skin, he  
  
had quills all along his spinal cord.  
  
As she entered the room, Helen was sitting in the  
  
armchair with her kid in a small bed near her. She  
  
rose her eyes and smiled at the sight of Rebecca.  
  
"Hungry again?" She nodded, motioning to the child  
  
with an apologetic look on her face.  
  
"She eats twice  
  
as much as a normal kid. Dunno why, but I just can't  
  
do a thing about it."  
  
Helen shrugged indifferently.  
  
"Simon almost doesn't eat at all, so they're gonna  
  
balance each other." Rebecca handed her a pack, and  
  
Helen removed the sheet from cub's face. Sabie smiled  
  
and cooed/purred to her, stretching her hand in  
  
woman's direction. "Wanna get a hold of me?" Helen  
  
questioned with a grin and bared her right breast to  
  
feed the kid.  
  
###  
  
In the evening Rebecca put the kid back into the bed  
  
and watched her fall to sleep. Weird, but along with  
  
extra-eating, Sabie was developing faster than any  
  
other kid she knew. She was hearing and seeing  
  
perfectly at the age of a week when the other kids do  
  
it about two weeks later. Besides, she wasn't sleeping  
  
in the daytime, so Rebecca had to be with her the  
  
entire day. Not that she objected though. She didn't  
  
have much work for now, so most of her time was free.  
  
She had spent time with Sabie almost the entire month,  
  
almost from the first day of the kid's life.  
  
At first she  
  
just had to, as she had to watch the orphan cubs in  
  
their first weeks at the center. But now she felt she  
  
was getting closer to that little frail in the bed.  
  
Rebecca took a deep breath. Maybe it was that she  
  
didn't have her own kids nor a family. Maybe it was  
  
the green-eyed wonder Sabie that took more of her  
  
attention.  
  
Anyway, now it wasn't just one of those  
  
kids their moms left, but it was beginning to be  
  
something more special.  
  
Silently, Rebecca switched the light off and stepped  
  
out of the room that was filled by the soft snoring of  
  
the kid.  
  
###  
  
Next day she was stopped by a nurse she hadn't seen  
  
before. "You're Rebecca, right?" She nodded. "Have you  
  
seen Sabie's birth-card?" Rebecca shook her head.  
  
"Anything wrong?" she questioned worriedly, her  
  
imagination already drawing her pictures of dying kid.  
  
"Yeah. I can't find that damn card, and as you seem to  
  
be close to that kid, I just hoped you may have her  
  
birth-card."  
  
Rebecca frowned. "And why do you need the  
  
card so soon?" Maybe there were some rules in this  
  
center of those she didn't know yet? She had been  
  
working here for only two months anyway, so it was  
  
possible.  
  
"The kid is almost a month old, so we're giving her away soon." Rebecca's heart stopped.  
  
"Where?" she managed to ask. The woman rolled her  
  
eyes.  
  
"Have you fallen down from the moon or what?!"  
  
"Sorry…" she mumbled "It's just that I haven't worked  
  
with… homo superior kids yet, so I just dunno…"  
  
The woman sighed. "At the age of one month mutant kids  
  
shall be taken from the med-center to go to FOH's  
  
boarding-school, see? Sabie's about a month old  
  
already, so it's just time to shake her off, and I  
  
can't find the damn card…" she mumbled, walking past  
  
Rebecca along the corridor, desperate to find the  
  
card. Rebecca's heart sank and she sighed. A month  
  
old. She knew Sabie was born on 12th of June. It was  
  
4th of July today. There was only 8 days left. She  
  
spun on her heel and paced to kid's quarters.  
  
###  
  
Sabie felt the familiar scent approaching.  
  
Instinctively she reached out with her arms to the  
  
frame that bent over to her. In a moment the world  
  
around spin as she was lifted up. Here she could feel  
  
more scents flying around, and she smiled as her nose  
  
caught a nice one coming from the window. She let out  
  
a purr, so the frail will bring her to the window, but  
  
it didn't understand.  
  
Sabie let out another purr and  
  
turned her head to where the scent was coming from.  
  
The frail soothed something and moved right where  
  
Sabie wanted it to move. The scent got sharper. As  
  
much as Sabie could comprehend, it was coming from  
  
bright rosy things that were attached to green things  
  
and stood on the window. She examined them for some  
  
moments, then reached out to take one, but was  
  
suddenly pulled back as the frail stepped aside  
  
bringing the scented thing out of her reach. Sabie  
  
sobbed, then let out a sudden catlike yell.  
  
###  
  
5th of July, 7 days left  
  
"What's that FOH boarding school mean?" She asked. The  
  
woman with raven black hair sipped coffee out of the  
  
paper cup and replied  
  
"It's like every boarding  
  
school. Here the mutant kids live till they get 21 and  
  
can face the court."  
  
"And?"  
  
She shrugged. "And the  
  
judge decides whether the mutant is dangerous or not.  
  
If he's dangerous – he gets the death sentence, the  
  
death penalty follows. If not – then he lives the  
  
normal life, though his rights are limited."  
  
Rebecca  
  
kept silence for some time, then asked "And… what  
  
limits do their rights have?"  
  
Lara shrugged "Like,  
  
hmm… they can't move to another state without  
  
permission, they shall always warn their employer  
  
about their mutation… let's see what else… oh, they shall not use their mutation without  
  
permission."  
  
Rebecca made wide eyes "What do you  
  
mean?"  
  
"I mean that they write an obligation to use  
  
their mutation only if it's permitted by the  
  
parliament or president. The permission is needed for  
  
each case if using mutation."  
  
"But… doesn't it mean  
  
they have ever so thin chance for using their gifts?"  
  
Lara nodded "Practically no chance. By the way, why do  
  
you ask?" Rebecca dropped her eyes. "It's 'cos of  
  
Sabie, right?"  
  
She nodded. Lara put her hand on  
  
Rebecca's shoulder. "You see, I understand you on  
  
that. She's a cute kid and all, but you can't help her  
  
with that. She's a mutie and it's her fate anyway. By  
  
the way, you even don't know who her father was, and  
  
her mom… wasn't much of a reliable person, you know.  
  
So… I think it's for the best if they take her to the  
  
boarding school. At least she'll be with those like  
  
her. Well?" Lara smiled.  
  
Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, I know  
  
it's not my problem what's gonna happen. It's just…  
  
dunno, maybe I got too close to her." She shrugged.  
  
Lara smiled even wider. "She's the first mutant kid  
  
you nursed, right?"  
  
Rebecca nodded "Then it's all  
  
clear. It usually happens like this the first time.  
  
People try to save them. but then, after the third  
  
kid, they understand even the cutest of them are  
  
nothing but freaks. Even Sabie, you see?" Rebecca  
  
nodded.  
  
###  
  
At home she put some "Whiskas" in a plate for Furry  
  
and eased down on the chair. Why was she actually  
  
worrying about the kid? Was it hers anyway? No and she  
  
had nothing to do with it. Even more, she shouldn't  
  
care about every mutant she meets, she's no kind of  
  
Charity Fund. All mutants live in those boarding  
  
schools, so why shouldn't Sabie be there too, huh?  
  
Maybe she'll even be proclaimed safe, get a job and  
  
live a normal life, huh?! Who is she to change her  
  
fate if anything?…  
  
She sighed. It all sounded fine, but it was just that  
  
she couldn't let this kid go into nowhere. "Damn" she  
  
whispered and got up, grasping form the phone. "Why  
  
shall it be 'nowhere', actually?"  
  
###  
  
"It's okay there, you see?" Miles said, walking beside  
  
her. "Just like any other boarding school, well?"  
  
Rebecca nodded. "I know, but I wanna see it with my  
  
own eyes, so I'll be sure about her future."  
  
"Muties  
  
don't have a good future anyway," he muttered. "Every  
  
FOH member says so,"  
  
she parried, "but I object."  
  
He shrugged. "Ya'r choice then." They walked into the  
  
gray building and went along the corridors. Soon they  
  
stopped at the door. "This is where the kids from 2 to  
  
4 years old live," Miles mumbled, opening the door.  
  
Rebecca went in. The walls were covered with  
  
multicolored papers, and thick yellow carpet covered  
  
the floor. Different dolls and cars and other kid's  
  
stuff were lying everywhere. Here was the bunch of  
  
kids too, playing around and making that deafing noise  
  
that always claims the kindergarteners. "Ya see now,"  
  
Miles questioned, bored.  
  
Rebecca nodded. And why  
  
did she ever think it was bad here? The kids seemed  
  
happy, well fed and cared about, so why did she think  
  
it could be bad at all? "Yeah, I see. It was nice."  
  
Miles smiled to her reply, when the pager on his  
  
waistband beeped. "Damn… I gotta go. Wait fer me here,  
  
ya may play with the kids until I return." With that he  
  
quickly left.  
  
Rebecca stood inside the room for some  
  
time, then walked out, determined to walk away without  
  
Miles' help. ~I was wrong~ she thought, walking along  
  
the corridors. ~So I may not worry about Sabie's fate  
  
now. If she lives in such good conditions, she won't  
  
need me at all. I may even visit her sometimes, why  
  
not. I could bring her toys to play with and books to  
  
read, maybe some other stuff kids like…~ Suddenly she  
  
stopped at her tracks. When she had walked with  
  
Miles beside her, the way seemed easy and clear.  
  
However, now it seemed that nothing was familiar in this place. She frowned. ~Damn, I  
  
should have waited for Miles~ she thought, and paced  
  
some more steps before stopping again. Now it was  
  
clear that she was lost.  
  
Cursing her own determination, she paced along the  
  
corridor, when she heard a sob. It was so clear in the  
  
silence of the corridor that she jumped and spun  
  
around to see the source of it. She listened, but no  
  
sound followed. She let out a nervous chuckle and made  
  
some more steps when another sob followed, soon  
  
replaced with a quite howl that was suddenly cut off.  
  
Frowning, she came to the wall where the noises came  
  
from, and looked close. Yes, there was a door there,  
  
so perfectly hidden it was barely visible in the dim  
  
light of the corridor. With hesitation pressed Rebecca  
  
her ear to the door. ~you don't even know what's on the  
  
other side, it's not good to peek…~ but she already  
  
put her fingers on the knob and turned it slowly. Ever  
  
so slowly, the door moved inside, revealing a long  
  
room/corridor, lighten as dim as the corridor she  
  
stood it, except for the spot at the far end of the  
  
room.  
  
There she saw the guardian, or at least he  
  
looked like one. She squinted her eyes to see he had a  
  
gun on his waist, and something else on the table near  
  
him. Narrowing her eyes helped her to see the  
  
object, and she gagged. It was the whip, a four foot  
  
long horse whip. ~why does he need the whip here?!~  
  
she frowned in disbelieve, when the sob came from the  
  
side of the room. Her eyes moved to its source, and  
  
she had to press her hand to her mouth not to make a  
  
sound. There were cages along both walls. Small, about  
  
two squared feet, and there was something moving in  
  
them. her heart raced.  
  
The kids.  
  
Many kids, of various  
  
kind, each one in one of the cells. She swallowed  
  
hard. The sob came from the boy who seemed about five  
  
or something. The guardian gave him an evil glance.  
  
"Shuddup" he muttered through gritted teeth. The kid  
  
let out another sob, but at the sight of an enraged  
  
man he took a deep breath and let out a yell. "I said  
  
shuddup!" the man growled, getting up.  
  
The whip hissed through the bars and the sound of  
  
crying cut off. The kid now lay at the side of his  
  
cage, the girl from the cage next to his reached her  
  
thin arms through the bars and was now trying to calm  
  
the kid down. Rebecca felt her knees giving way.  
  
Silently, she closed the door and paced to where she  
  
came from. Step by step, like a robot, she got to the  
  
hall with the kids room Miles showed her. He was  
  
already waiting for her, pacing around impatiently.  
  
"Were have ya been?!" he yelled at her, then suddenly  
  
stopped, looking at her dead-pale face. "Something's  
  
wrong?" he asked worriedly, with a strange squint in  
  
his eyes.  
  
Rebecca forced herself to smile. "Nno… just  
  
got lost. Ya see, I decided to go alone and not to  
  
disturb you anymore, so I went along the corridors,  
  
but got lost. I called and no one answered me, I just  
  
got so scared…" She let out a sigh. By the look of  
  
Miles he had swallowed her lie in one gulp.  
  
"Well, I  
  
told ya not to go alone here. The corridors are such a  
  
net…" with that he took her hand and led her in right  
  
direction. "Ya sure ya'r okay? Ya'r all shivering."  
  
She gave him a glance. "Just scared. Must be the  
  
aftershock, you know I'm afraid of being lost." That  
  
was true, and he believed it.  
  
###  
  
The moment the door closed behind Miles she turned on  
  
her heel, leaned to the door with her back and cried.  
  
At first quietly, then her sobs got harder in minutes.  
  
How could they?! Showing her the room with ten  
  
happy kids – and throwing another hundred in cells…  
  
She slid down along the wall till she was sitting on  
  
the floor. The image burst into her mind. Sabie,  
  
already grown up, in a cell whip marks on her face and  
  
body, sobbing softly, begging for a drop of water,  
  
dying from thirst… The crying came again, harder than  
  
before. "I won't let them, Sab'… I won't… they ain't  
  
taking ya there…" Rebecca balled on the floor in the  
  
hall, sobbing quietly, her blouse damp with tears, and  
  
didn't feel as the sleep claimed her.  
  
###  
  
6th of July, 6 days left  
  
"So, how was the boarding school?"  
  
Rebecca clenched  
  
the fist in her pocket and force d a smile. "Not bad…  
  
but you know, I didn't like it much. Too bright and…  
  
no privacy for kids. Are there any ways to prevent  
  
Sabie from getting in there?"  
  
Garry thought for a  
  
moment. "Actually I never thought about it. If the kid  
  
doesn't have parents, it always goes into the  
  
boarding-school. But if you want… no, I dunno what to  
  
do."  
  
Rebecca sighed. "Okay, Garry, thanks. Just… if  
  
you come up with any ideas – call me immediately, okay?"  
  
he nodded with surprised look.  
  
"She's crazy about that  
  
kid" he muttered as she left.  
  
"No, there's no way to avoid her getting there" Lara  
  
shook her head. "All kids go there, and Sabie isn't an  
  
exception. Don't worry, she'll be okay there, you saw  
  
those rooms, you even said you liked them." ~yeah, the  
  
rooms were nice… the cells weren't though…~  
  
"Sorry, but I don't think you can leave her here,  
  
'Bec" dr. Warson stated. "You know how miserable the  
  
budget of our center is, we're looking for any  
  
possible ways to shorten the quantity of the patients  
  
here – and you're asking me to leave an orphan  
  
mutant kid. Think with your brains, 'Bec, not with  
  
your… hmm… spinal cord."  
  
###  
  
7th of July, 5 days left  
  
"So, you want the kid to avoid the FOH's boarding  
  
school? May I ask why?"  
  
Rebecca shifted uncomfortably  
  
under layer's stare and mumbled "It's just that I want  
  
her to be close to me. I work in the center, so if  
  
there are ways of leaving her… I'd be grateful if you  
  
tell me about them."  
  
Mr. Parkinson thought for a  
  
moment, then nodded. "I haven't met with such a case  
  
yet, everyone always tries to get rid of homo superior  
  
kids, but as for you… okay, I'll look for the  
  
possibilities and call you this evening."  
  
###  
  
When the phone rang, Rebecca was ready to jump out  
  
of her skin. "Yes?…" she questioned with shivering  
  
voice. But it wasn't the lawyer, but dr. Warson, her  
  
chief.  
  
"You haven't been on duty today. What's wrong?"  
  
he asked calmly.  
  
Rebecca sighed. Yes, she had spent  
  
the whole morning at the lawyer agency, and then she  
  
was too nervous to go on duty, so she just visited  
  
Sabie on her way back and went home.  
  
"I felt sick this morning, so I'm afraid I'll have to take a day  
  
off." ~come on, swallow that, I haven't passed on the  
  
duties that much yet~  
  
"Okay" the phone said "When will  
  
ya get back to us?"  
  
~yeah!~ "Dunno. Maybe in a week,  
  
but I hope I'll be okay sooner."  
  
"Well then. 'hope  
  
you'll get better soon."  
  
"Hope too". With that she  
  
put the phone down and bit into her lip. What if she  
  
had missed the lawyer's call?!… but no, it followed  
  
just some minutes after.  
  
"Ms. Rebecca?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Parkinson?"  
  
"Remember you asked me about that homo  
  
superior kid?" She nodded, but then realized he  
  
couldn't see that, so she said  
  
"Yes, sure I asked  
  
you."  
  
"There's one way I found. The kids with families  
  
live with their families till the age of 21 without  
  
the right to marry till they face the court. The same  
  
is with the adopted kids." He paused.  
  
Rebecca gagged.  
  
"You mean you're proposing me to adopt her?…" her  
  
voice trailed off.  
  
"Yes. If you want her not to live  
  
in FOH's boarding school, it's the only way. Still, as  
  
I heard these schools aren't that bad, so you can  
  
leave her…"  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Parkinson." She was sick of  
  
those "good schools" already.  
  
"When may I contact you  
  
about the official adopting?"  
  
"Well…" he looked  
  
through his notebook. "Will next Wednesday be okay?"  
  
Rebecca counted for a moment. Sabie will be two days  
  
in the boarding school already.  
  
"Sorry but no. How  
  
about tomorrow?" There was silence on the other side,  
  
then a sighed followed.  
  
"Okay then. Tomorrow 11:00am."  
  
"Fine with me" Rebecca smiled. "Good bye"  
  
"Good bye."  
  
She put the phone down and jumped. "Yyyyes!  
  
Yesyesyes!" she jumped across the room, realizing how  
  
Funny it must be for a thirty year old woman to be jumping like a  
  
madman.  
  
Suddenly she stopped. Adoption. Of the mutant  
  
kid. With all troubles it provides… not knowing that  
  
everything is all right with the kid or not… living in a  
  
steady danger of her powers' manifesting… who knows  
  
what gifts the girl carries? Pyrokinesis?  
  
Telepathy? Those eye beams? Hypnotizing ability?  
  
Moving through objects?  
  
Rebecca swallowed. Whatever it  
  
was, no one knew what could happen. Even now, in  
  
barely a month, Sabie was showing weird behavior,  
  
evolving faster than any other kid. Every time Rebecca  
  
neared her, she knew who was coming, even if she  
  
didn't see her. She was weird. ~Are you ready to  
  
settle her in your own house and live with her next 21  
  
year?~ she questioned herself, and was ready to shake  
  
her head, when the image of whipped kids stood in front  
  
of her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Whatever".  
  
###  
  
8th of July, 4 days left  
  
"Hello" Rebecca said as she sat in the comfortable  
  
armchair in front of layer's wooden neatly polished  
  
table.  
  
"Hello, Ms. Sangerson." He smiled. "So you've  
  
made a decision?"  
  
"Yes. I want to adopt the kid."  
  
"I'd like to  
  
ask you some questions before I start. First, what  
  
about the flat you live in? Remember, you'll be living  
  
with a kid."  
  
With a sigh, Rebecca put on the table a  
  
pack of documents. "Here it goes: the three rooms  
  
flat, normal salary, no family, etc, whatever you  
  
need. I know how it goes, I also want you to know her  
  
mother is insane and her father is dead, so I have all  
  
rights to adopt her."  
  
Mr. Parkinson rose his eyes  
  
frowning "Her mother's insane? That may cause a  
  
problem of the kid having psycho diseases, and…"  
  
"No,  
  
no, she went insane just after the kid's birth, so I'm  
  
sure the kid is okay." Rebecca reassured quickly. He  
  
rubbed his nose.  
  
"Well then… I think the documents  
  
will be ready in two days."  
  
She smiled "Thanks"  
  
###  
  
9th of July, 3 days left  
  
Rebecca was rocking the kid when the man entered the  
  
room. She noticed the FOH signs on his sleeves and  
  
chest. "Is the kid named Sabie here?" he asked.  
  
Rebecca turned pale. "Yyes… but hey, are you going to  
  
take her now?!"  
  
He nodded "Why not? Dr. Warson asked  
  
us to take the kid today, and I see nothing bad in it.  
  
What do those two days matter?"  
  
"Three days" Rebecca  
  
corrected, and the man stepped back in surprise.  
  
"You're counting?" he asked with his brows arched.  
  
"I do" she answered simply. "I'll take care of this."  
  
With that she stepped outside the room with the kid  
  
purring in her arms.  
  
###  
  
"Dr. Warson, by what right do you let this man take  
  
the kid three days earlier then the term?" she  
  
questioned.  
  
He blinked at her and the FOH member  
  
behind her back. "I thought it doesn't matter when to  
  
give her up. Three days there, three days here – who  
  
cares?"  
  
"I care" Rebecca stated firmly. Dr. Warson  
  
chewed on his lips. "Remember I told you about the  
  
lack of funds?"  
  
"Remember the law?" she was determined  
  
to win "A month old. A whole utter month. Not a  
  
day earlier, you see?" He turned to her, evil light  
  
playing in his eyes.  
  
"I rule here, not you. You stop  
  
me – and your carreer comes to an end." Rebecca's eyes  
  
narrowed threateningly while her hands kept pressing  
  
the kid to her chest.  
  
"You give her away – and you'll  
  
spend the rest of your life in a court. I promise  
  
that." for a minute they just stared at each other,  
  
and it only FOH member who threw glances at them, not  
  
daring to stop their soundless fight. Then Dr. Warson  
  
took a deep breath.  
  
"Three more days. On Monday they  
  
come and take her."  
  
Rebecca's face lit with a smile  
  
"Sure" she answered, rocking the kid.  
  
###  
  
10th of July, 2 days left  
  
"So what about documents?" She asked. Mr. Parkinson  
  
chewed at his lower lip.  
  
"You see, I'm afraid I'll  
  
have to delay the procedure, Ms. Sangerson, as…"  
  
"WHAT?!!" He took a step back in sudden fear of  
  
Rebecca's twisted face.  
  
"I mean… you see, the  
  
documents aren't ready yet, and it's Sunday tomorrow,  
  
we don't work on Sunday, all I can promise is to have  
  
them ready until Monday evening…"  
  
"She'll be with  
  
those FOH mutherfuckers by Monday!" Rebecca yelled,  
  
and his eyes grew wide. She took a deep breath and  
  
said. "I'll pay you double, but the documents shall be  
  
ready by this evening. Do whatever you want, I don't  
  
care, just do it. damn ya." She end up growling lowly,  
  
and Mr. Parkinson gave her a nod.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'll do  
  
all I can do, they'll be ready by… hmm… I'll call  
  
you when they'll be ready." Rebecca took a notebook  
  
out of her pocket, wrote there something and tore the  
  
page out.  
  
"Here. It's my cell phone. As soon as you're  
  
ready, you call me." He gave her a nod, and she walked  
  
out.  
  
###  
  
"Like the view?" Lara asked, standing by the window.  
  
It was already dark outside, and only the lights  
  
outside lighted the landscape.  
  
"Nope, but she does"  
  
Rebecca motioned on the kid in her arms. Sabie was  
  
staring outside with visible interest and occasionally  
  
banging her small palm onto the window glass. "Still  
  
can't get used to the idea she won't be living here?"  
  
Lara pulled her friend closer.  
  
"Come on, the life  
  
doesn't end up with her getting into that  
  
boarding-sch…" Rebecca spun around and pinned her with  
  
killing stare.  
  
"You say that again – you learn to  
  
fly." Lara took a step back, circling a finger near  
  
her temple.  
  
"Ya'r crazy, 'Bec…"  
  
"Let it be then." With  
  
that she turned back to the window, letting Sabie  
  
press her nose to the glass.  
  
"Insane bitch…" Lara  
  
mouthed as she paced away along the corridor. 'Can't  
  
even take the offered help well… fuck…"  
  
###  
  
It was 10:34 when her phone rang. Rebecca carefully  
  
put the kid into the bed and took the phone. "Yes, Mr.  
  
Parkinson?" The voice on the other end sounded tired.  
  
"Everything's ready. Just for you to sign."  
  
"Thanks.  
  
I'm coming right now." She got her cell phone back on  
  
her waistband and paced to the administrator. "I'll be  
  
back in half a hour, okay?" The woman made a face.  
  
"You know, girl, I'm waiting here for god knows what  
  
for two hours already. I should have been home at nine  
  
o'clock, but here I am. So I put it like this: you go  
  
– I go too. Clear?" Rebecca blinked. "But… it's just  
  
half an hour, thirty minutes only…"  
  
"It's far too late  
  
for anything you have in mind, besides it's Saturday,  
  
and I ain't gonna stay here a minute longer." Rebecca  
  
sighed.  
  
"Okay. I'll stay here with you." She smiled her  
  
best smile she could effort.  
  
The woman sighed. "Okay.  
  
I stay, if you buy me coffee."  
  
"Sure" Rebecca smiled  
  
even wider and ran into the kitchen, taking the phone  
  
on her way. "Mr. Parkinson?"  
  
"Yeah?…" the voice on the  
  
other side was sleepy. "You've gotta come here to  
  
the Valentine's Medical Center."  
  
There was a pause,  
  
then an answer followed. "Wha… okay, but is it that  
  
serious? Can't we delay?…"  
  
"No. One last time. It's  
  
very important, ever so important."  
  
"Yeah?…"  
  
She  
  
sighed. "You come here, and I promise you to end this  
  
all up right here and now." Another pause.  
  
"Okay. I'll  
  
be there in fifteen minutes."  
  
###  
  
"Are you sure your lawyer's gonna come?" The  
  
administrator asked.  
  
"Sure he will, Mrs. Longlife"  
  
Rebecca poured the coffee into the mug. "You can't  
  
even imagine how important it is for me, I'm so  
  
grateful you're so kind to stay here and…"  
  
"Okay, let  
  
it be, girl. I'm here, and I ain't going anywhere till  
  
your damn lawyer comes with whatever he's gonna come  
  
with."  
  
It was eleven already when Mr. Parkinson came in.  
  
Rebecca leaped to him and grabbed his hand, pulling  
  
him to the table. "Here they are" he pulled out the set  
  
of documents, and Rebecca went on putting her  
  
signature on the papers under the frowning look of the  
  
administrator woman.  
  
"So… here they are" Rebecca handed her the documents.  
  
The woman looked through them and rose her eyes.  
  
"You're adopting Sabie?!" Rebecca nodded. The woman  
  
smiled. "Good. I never wanted her to get into that FOH  
  
school or whatever they have. It's always better to  
  
live in a family." With that she took the file and  
  
looked through it, then another one. Soon she gathered  
  
a pack of documents, accompanied by the birth card.  
  
"Sign here, 'Bec" she pointed at the sheet, and Rebecca  
  
put her small signature there. The woman smiled. "Here  
  
we are" with that she handed Rebecca a small file of  
  
documents. "Sabie is your official daughter from now  
  
on." She felt her knees getting weak. It was done. She  
  
had won. She had saved the kid from those monsters…  
  
and got a family. Now she had a family. On the weak  
  
buckling legs she paced to the infirmary and walked  
  
in. The kid was in her bed, her eyes shining slightly  
  
in darkness. "We did it, girl" Rebecca whispered in  
  
the dark air of the room.  
  
###  
  
12th of July, 0 days left  
  
"Yes?" Dr. Warson rose his eyes at the knock in his  
  
door. The familiar man in FOH's uniform went in.  
  
"Where's the kid we came for?" Doctor frowned.  
  
"Isn't  
  
she in place?…hmm…" he lowered his head muttering  
  
"damn Rebecca", took the phone, linking with the  
  
admin. "Did Ms. Sangerson take the kid named Sabie  
  
from the infirmary?"  
  
"Yes she did." The answer came.  
  
He was close to growling.  
  
"Then why the hell didn't  
  
you stop her?!!"  
  
The admin's voice was calm. " She has  
  
the right to take the kid wherever she wants."  
  
"Wha…?!!… how come?!"  
  
"She had adopted the cub"  
  
"When?!"  
  
"On Saturday evening she brought all the  
  
documents and signed them in the presence of the  
  
lawyer." Dr. Warson took a deep breath and put the  
  
phone down.  
  
"So what about the kid?" the man  
  
questioned.  
  
He sighed "The kid has a family from now  
  
on." The man blinked. "You've got nothing to do here  
  
then." Doctor pushed. The man chewed on his lip, but  
  
due to the lack of arguments he had to leave. Dr.  
  
Warson turned his armchair to look through the window  
  
onto the rainy clouds. "Bitch." He muttered. "But damn  
  
clever one."  
  
She's sleeping, you see, she fell asleep  
  
And there's no right to wake her till the morning comes  
  
The dark night had balled her up and helped her to close her eyes  
  
She'll wake up when the sun will rise, when the birds will get in the blue sky  
  
Don't wake her up, I beg you, my friend, so I won't have to kill you up.  
  
It's good that she still doesn't know how much blood turned into water  
  
And how many souls fly into the sky after far too short life in their bodies  
  
And how much tears will the sky pour, taking the dampness from people's eyes  
  
That the strength holds on the weakness, and those who's weak  
  
Have no chance to survive.  
  
I gotta save her, at least cover her with my weak body  
  
So the sticky hands of ugly fear won't touch her tiny shoulders  
  
Let her sleep while she has time, and let her dream about the sea and the rain  
  
And please, ask her to forgive me when I steal her sorrow and pain  
  
I'll be dying  
  
Breaking hearts  
  
But if I kill  
  
1.1 I go to the end  
  
For every pain ya inflict on her, for every hair that  
  
falls from her head  
  
I'll rub the salt into ya'r wounds and tear ya'r guts  
  
out with a blunt knife  
  
And let her sleep for nor, you better don't wake her up  
  
The world's gonna shock and scare her if her eyes will be opened by love  
  
I'll be dying  
  
Breaking hearts  
  
But if I kill  
  
I go to the end.  
  
("Tenderness", Dolphin, translated from Russian by  
  
Sabie) 


End file.
